The Little Paris Kitchen (17 page)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter and flour a
financier
pan.
*

Start melting the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Carry on melting until the butter turns a dark golden brown (this is called
beurre noisette
), then immediately take the pan off the heat.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk the egg whites and salt to soft peaks in another bowl.

Beat the egg yolks in a third bowl, and slowly incorporate the warm butter (if the butter is still very hot, it will curdle the eggs). Sift the dry ingredients into the egg and butter mix and then fold in half the egg whites followed by the cheese, ham, bacon, etc. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 12–15 minutes or until the cakes spring back when touched. Leave to cool in the pan.
Financiers
are best eaten the same day, but will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days.

*
Financier
pans usually have 20 sections, so for this recipe you will have to use the pan twice to make 30
financiers.
I have two types of pan at home—an old-fashioned metal one that needs to be buttered and floured, and a new silicone one that needs no preparation. You could use a mini tart pan instead, but you won't get the characteristic gold-bar shape that gives financiers their name
.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 12
–
15 minutes

Pastis, the anise-flavored alcohol that is normally diluted with water (it's pretty necessary with a 40-percent alcohol content), has a bit of a reputation as a drink for pensioners who play
pétanque
. For my generation I thought I'd give pastis a little twist and a few extra ingredients. Think
mojito
meets the south of France. Frozen into Popsicles, I think it's quite a refreshing way to start an
apéro
.

MAKES 6

• a handful of mint, leaves only • 1 lemon • 1 tsp sugar •
⅔
cup lemonade • 3 tbsp pastis

Place a mint leaf in each of twelve mini demisphere molds.
*
Finely grate the lemon zest into a jug. Add the rest of the mint and the sugar to the lemon zest and mash with the end of a rolling pin or a wooden spoon. Mix in 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, the lemonade, and pastis. Pass through a sieve and pour into a jug.

Pour the liquid into the molds and freeze them for 3 hours or until solid. Remove two demispheres and place them back into one of the empty demisphere holes to form a sphere (you need to sit the demispheres upright). Insert a Popsicle stick into the gap between the two demispheres and pour in a teaspoon of cold water to help them stick together. Repeat with the other spheres to make another five Popsicles, working quickly. Refreeze for another hour or overnight, until completely frozen.

*
I use a silicone mold that has fifteen demisphere holes, but if you haven't got a mold you can use an ordinary ice-cube tray to make 6–8 Popsicles (depending on the size of your tray). Pour the liquid into the compartments in the tray, then place in the freezer and leave for a couple of hours until semifrozen. Remove from the freezer and insert a Popsicle stick into the middle of each Popsicle, then return to the freezer until completely frozen
.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Freezing time: 4 hours
–
overnight

In 2010, UNESCO added French gastronomy and the ritual of the traditional French meal to its “world's intangible heritage” list.

When I first moved to France, I didn't understand what the big fuss was about. After all, there are many other cultures that have culinary traditions that match the French. But I came to realize that it's not just about the cooking, it's about the appreciation of good food. The French understand their produce and know how it should be treated. A great example is the iconic yet humble baguette. In Paris an annual prize is awarded to the best baguette in the region. Even something as basic and affordable as bread is not taken for granted, and it's seen as not only a skill but a form of art.

The French are brought up with this understanding. It doesn't need to be taught. It's a way of life. As UNESCO acknowledged, a French meal is not only about eating. The custom of bringing people together to enjoy good food, drink, and company is something the French do particularly well. It starts off with an
apéritif
, followed by four courses (starter, main course, cheese, and dessert), and is finished off with a
digestif
. Dishes are carefully matched with wine. French seasonal produce, preferably local, is preferred over foreign, imported products. This is not something new. Long before “foodtainment,” celebrity chefs, and the mass food media influx, i.e., the overwhelming amount of food magazines, television shows, websites, blogs, and the like, the French were obsessed with the culinary arts.

But the French don't just discuss food and consume it, they also get a kick out of actually cooking. The art of selecting ingredients, deciding how they should be prepared, and making an effort with presentation adds to the pleasure of eating. There's no better way to experience
la joie de vivre
, the French passion for all good things in life, than sharing a home-cooked meal with loved ones.

A baked potato with melted cheese was one of the best lunches we had at school. You can't beat that melted cheese and potato combo. This is a slightly more sophisticated (but effortless) French homage to my humble childhood favorite.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

• 4 firm-fleshed potatoes (such as fingerling) • 1 firm pear • 3½ oz Roquefort or another blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel the potatoes and cut into
-inch-thick slices. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, overlap the potato slices tightly to make four rectangles. Peel the pear and cut into small cubes, then sprinkle the cubes over the potatoes and crumble the cheese on top. (Keep the cheese in the middle, otherwise it will drip off the potatoes when it melts.) Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden brown and crisp around the edges. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 20 minutes

The Parisian part of this recipe is the sauce, which also goes by the name of
sauce allemande
. It's basically a
velouté
sauce (see
page 270
) enriched with egg yolks and a little cream—a great alternative to hollandaise.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER/SIDE

For the sauce:
2 tbsp butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 1¾ cups veal or beef stock, lukewarm • 2 tbsp heavy cream • 2 egg yolks • a couple of drops of lemon juice • salt and white pepper

• a pinch each of salt and sugar • 1 lb asparagus, trimmed

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and beat hard until you have a smooth paste
(roux)
. Continue beating until the
roux
begins to have a golden color. Take off the heat and gradually add the stock, whisking constantly.

Place the pan back over a medium heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, whisking frequently. If the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in a little more stock.

Take the sauce off the heat and whisk in the cream and egg yolks. Season with lemon juice, salt, and white pepper.
*

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and sugar followed by the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.

Drain the asparagus well and serve immediately, with the sauce spooned over and around.

*
The sauce should be used straightaway. Do not reheat or the eggs will separate and the sauce will become lumpy.

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes